Welsh beach most beautiful in Britain

A LITTLE-KNOWN Welsh beach has been named as the most beautiful in Britain.

A LITTLE-KNOWN Welsh beach has been named as the most beautiful in Britain.

Often described as the best-kept secret in Pembrokeshire, the charms of Barafundle Beach are likely to remain secret no longer after the accolade from a top travel magazine.

Researchers for the Good Holiday Guide visited more than 1,000 beaches in 120 different countries for their best beach guide and came up with 11 winning international beaches.

Barafundle Beach, which was once the private cove of a Pembrokeshire gentry family, beat off opposition from seaside favourites such Woolacombe in Devon, Studland in Dorset and Holkham in Norfolk to win the British title.

It is now ranked on a par with places such as Cap Bon in Tunisia and White Bay in the British Virgin islands as among the best beaches in the world.

Travel experts said Barafundle's superlative sands, sea quality, beautiful location and natural environment made it perfect for the title of most beautiful British beach.

And they also chose it as Britain's best family beach.

"Barafundle is perfect. The judges were particularly impressed with the route to Barafundle from Bosherston - traversing the lily ponds, bridges and some spectacular cliff scenery," said travel journalist Nic Havers.

"It is an exceptionally attractive part of Wales and rightly deserves this title."

The award has come as no surprise to local people, who have long known about their hidden gem.

Ian Bennett, South Pembrokeshire area warden for the National Trust, which jointly owns the beach, said it was as good a beach as you could see anywhere.

"I've worked here for 20 years, I've travelled all over Europe and I've always thought that it is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen," he said.

Libby Taylor, senior ranger for the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, said it was her favourite beach.

"It's a fabulous spot and for so many different reasons," she said.

"It's a lovely sandy beach, great for families, there's safe bathing and it's also surrounded by beautiful scenery."

Vi Weston, whose family has run the Old World Cafe in nearby Bosherston for 82 years, said it was popular with all her customers.

Located west of Tenby, Barafundle is an east-facing cove sheltered by Stackpole Head from prevailing winds and backed by sand dunes and woodland.

With its waters kept warm by the Gulf Stream, large tides keep its fine golden sand clean.

Now part of a 2,000-acre National Trust Estate, it was once the private beach of the Earls of Cawdor and only open to local people when the family travelled to their other estate in Scotland.

The family built a wall around the cove to prevent deer from their park straying onto the sands and even built a now long-gone carriageway from their house to the beach.

Today all that remains from its gentrified past is the wall and a stone walkway from the east, which was said at one time to be decorated with ornamental columns and trees.

With no direct road, the beach can only be accessed by foot. Most visitors leave their cars at Stackpole Quay and take a stunning cliff-top stroll to the sands but it can also be reached via Bosherston and Broad Haven.

However, no roads also means no car parks and none of the paraphernalia of modern seaside life.

Len Mullins of Pembrokeshire County Council said the beach accolade was great news for Pembrokeshire's tourism industry.

"Everyone who has ever visited Barafundle will know how special it is," he said.

Yes, but how much does it cost to get there?
While the cost of getting to Barafundle Beach can be measures in terms of petrol, travelling to the other top international beaches will be a bit more pricey.

According to Abta the average cost of a scheduled return flight to the other host countries will be:

The swimmers
:
Lynn Hunter and her daughters Carys, eight, and Megan, six, pictured left, from Pembroke Dock fell in love with Barafundle when they moved to Pembrokeshire and treat it as their local beach.

"It's very safe for swimming, I've not noticed any rip currents or anything," she said.

"The sand is beautiful, there's wet and dry and you also have the sand dunes and the rock pools.

"It's not always busy busy like some beaches. It's just heaven. It's a glimpse of the South of France in Pembrokeshire."

The Kayakers:
Andy Howe and his daughter Rosie, 10, from Hawarden, Flintshire, paddled around to Barafundle yesterday from nearby Stackpole Quay.

"We come here at least once every time we are on holiday," he said. "It's the best beach around.

"It's very safe and the water is very clear. That's why we've paddled here today from Stackpole Quay. We've come to do some snorkling and fishing.

"It's a very sheltered beach - we've even managed to keep our sandwiches dry on the way over."

The family:
Andy and Karen Hopkins and their children Alex, eight, and Charlotte, 10, from Northamptonshire, discovered Barafundle just this week.

"We're staying at Manorbier and a friend told me about it," said Andy.

"He marked it off on the map for me. It's not that well-known.

"We came here first on Monday when it was raining but even in the rain it was worth the trek. It's so unspoilt.

"The sea is so clear and the sand is beautiful. We'd certainly come again.

"It doesn't matter that there's no ice-cream kiosks or anything like that.

"You just bring your own."

The walkers:
Graham and Joyce Hutchinson, from Derbyshire, passed through Barafundle yesterday on a walk from Broad Haven South to Stackpole Quay.

"It's a lovely beach and it's certainly a candidate for best beach," said Graham.

"It's very difficult to assess these things - it's like picking the winner of a beauty contest.

"Why pick one?

"The downside is that it's not easily accessible for a lot of people but the upside is that it keeps it hidden and quiet."

And the other best beaches in the world are...

Ras Nungwi, Zanzibar:
All of Zanzibar's beaches are said to be beautiful, but from the isolated beach of Ras Nungwi, you can watch dhows float by just as they have for hundreds of years.

Nha Trang, Vietnam:
This is a small town with 6km of sands and a scattering of outlying islands, particularly Yen Island, where local people collect birds' nests called salangane (made from bird's saliva), prepare and serve them up as a delicious meal.

White Bay, British Virgin Islands, above:
The islands are all about unadulterated luxury. Visitors can explore the archipelago, which used to be home to Captain Cook and Blackbeard the Pirate.

Turtle Beach on Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Malaysia:
It lies off the Terengganu coast and is reached by a 30-minute boat ride. The only way to Turtle beach is through the jungle which gives way to white coral sands and views looking out to the South China seas.

Cies Island, Galicia, Spain, right:
Although an oil spill badly affected the coastline two years ago, latest reports are that the oil has been completely cleaned up and that flora and fauna are recovering. The C es Islands are three pristine isles of an extraordinary, feral beauty, lying off the Costa de la Morte with long bays of white sand.

Porquerolles, Iles d'Or, France:
bottom right, Lying 24 miles east-south-east from Toulon, with a sub-tropical microclimate, Porquerolles is one of three islands making up a nature reserve.

Turku Archipelago, Finland:
Just outside the Land of the Midnight Sun, the Turku Archipelago experiences warm weather in July and 20 hours of sunshine per day.

Gramvoussa, Crete:
Far from civilisation, with goat-tracks wending down to the natural creek of Balos beach..

Cap Bon, Tunisia:
Fifty miles east of Tunis, it includes a string of 12 beaches of white sands and glassy waters.

Lakshadweep Islands, India:
In the Arabian Sea, the Lakshadweep Islands are so special you need a permit to visit. Packed with exotic flora and fauna and surrounded by deep blue seas.

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